Joyce Azzam

She has become an advocate for women's and children's rights. She is featured as an expert or motivational speaker for the international circuit promoting her causes of inspiring youth and women to overcome life and societal challenges. She said, "Nobody expected me to be a mountaineer, but I welcomed the contrast, as it challenged stereotypes of what a woman should be." Furthermore, Azzam has become the ambassador of the Lebanese Ice Hockey Federation (women's team) supporting women in sports and has volunteered with the NGO "Himaya" as a child protection advocate and has been a motivational speaker for youth groups in many other countries. In the spring of 2022, Azzam became the ambassador of The Lebanese Mountain Trail and has walked the full trail from north to south.

On 23 May 2019, she successfully climbed Mount Everest thus becoming the third Lebanese person and fourth Arab woman to achieve the feat. While also accomplishing her summit of Mount Everest, she also completed the Seven Summits challenge in the due course. She became the first Lebanese woman to complete Seven Summits and to have previously climbed Denali in North America, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Europe, Puncak Jaya & Mount Kosciuszko in Oceania, Aconcagua in South America and Vinson Massif in Antarctica. She also faced financial difficulties and obstacles in 2015 when she was left with a lack of funds to complete the Seven Summits challenge and initially abandoned the plan.

Joyce Azzam (Arabic: جويس عزام) is a Lebanese elite mountaineer born on June 24, 1984. Azzam holds the record of being the only Lebanese woman to complete the Seven Summits Challenge . She graduated with a Ph.D. in landscape and environment from the Sapienza University of Rome. Azzam now runs an NGO called MounTurtle. She is the first Lebanese woman and one of the few Arab women to complete and raise the Lebanese flag on top of the Seven Summits after reaching the top Everest in May 2019.